


The Way to a Man's Heart

by Miasen



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Romance, Uzumaki Naruto and Ramen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 12:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5869435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miasen/pseuds/Miasen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Itachi's new neighbour loves noodles, this much is apparent from the moment he meet him, but never would he have thought it would be such an... attractive quality. Written for the Naruto Crack Swap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Way to a Man's Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cai (Zanya)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zanya/gifts).



> This is for you, Cai!
> 
> I went with the common ship Itachi/Naruto, and the prompt" Character B's new neighbour is strange, although the man's strange fascination with noodles is bizarrely attractive."
> 
> This prompt just jumped at me immediately, so I had to go with it. XD Had a lot of fun writing it, hope it's in some way what you imagined. ;)

Itachi was browsing the various variants of rice lining the supermarket shelves in front of him, not sure which one he should buy, when he heard an excited yelp next to him. Curiosity got the better of him, and he peered to the side to see what the commotion was all about.

A man, a couple of years younger than him by the look of it, was standing in front of the shelf next to the rice, eyes big and sparkling blue as he reached for one of the cups of instant noodles. Itachi felt his eyebrow draw up in surprise as the man with the bright blond hair and the big grin pulled the cup out and pressed it to his chest, looking immensely pleased with his find.

"Beautiful, beautiful ramen," the man muttered to himself as he cradled the cup.

Itachi wasn't sure if he should laugh, or maybe call for someone, because he didn't think normal people got this invested in cup ramen. Was there any institutions nearby the blond could've escaped from?

The man seemed to notice Itachi looking at him, because the next moment he was turning towards him, that big grin now aimed directly at Itachi. Itachi stopped breathing for a moment. That smile was literally breath-taking. He didn't think he'd ever seen someone smile at him with this unabashed joy on their face, and he was pretty sure that smile could save lives, or maybe even create world peace.

"I can't believe they stock Mamee Chef! The Curry Laksa Flavour has won _The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time_ list two years in a row, but I've never found it in a store before!"

It took Itachi a moment to realise that not only was the blond man talking to him, about ramen no less, but what he was saying was supposedly meant to make sense.

The man seemed to see Itachi's silence as his cue to keep talking. "I've wanted to try all the top ten ones, but most of them are from other countries, so I haven't been able to find them yet, but there are so many different kinds here, I love this store! Look! They have Mama too, and that's a Thai brand. This is so great; I need to get one of each."

Somewhere along his tirade the blond man seemingly forgot about Itachi as he turned back to the ramen, pushing a substantial amount of them into his cart before he vanished down the aisle, leaving Itachi completely baffled.

He shook his head and kept shopping, only realising when he got home that he had completely forgotten about the rice he was supposed to buy. He made noodle soup for dinner instead.

***

Summer was going on full force, and the next day found Itachi escaping to his balcony in hope that he might catch a hint of a breeze to cool him down. His AC unit had apparently died while he was at work, and no one would be able to come in and fix it until tomorrow, so his living room was currently a death trap.

He'd grabbed a book, and was sitting in one of the reclining deck chairs his mother had insisted he needed to have, reading, as he noticed the sound.

He ignored it at first. He lived in the city, there was bound to be all kinds of weird noises around.

Then it got louder. He couldn't quite place it, it sounded like… slurping?

He looked up from his book, peering over the edge of the railing to the neighbouring balcony. He'd never had much trouble with his neighbours before, but the girl living next door had just moved out, and he hadn't met the new tenant yet, so he had no idea just who'd ended up living there.

The first thing he saw was golden blond hair sparkling in the sun. He pushed the sunglasses perched on top of his head back over his eyes to shield them.

There was a guy sitting on the balcony right next to his, and the noise was definitely coming from him. What the hell was the guy up to?

Itachi shifted enough in his seat so he could see more than just the top of a blond head, and was surprised to note that he recognised the man sitting there, and maybe that sound made perfect sense now.

The guy from the supermarket was sitting with one of the ramen cups from yesterday (or at least Itachi guessed it was), slurping down broth and noodles, loudly.

Normally Itachi would find the sound more than annoying, but somehow he wasn't too bothered by it as he watched lips purse around the strands of noodle, plump and pink and shiny with broth.

It was kind of fascinating how the guy's eyes closed in apparent joy every time he pulled more noodles into his mouth. He looked like a kid at Christmas, and it was rather endearing.

Itachi forgot about his book as he watched the man finish his meal. He had no idea just what was so fascinating, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. If it was the fact that the ramen seemed to make the man so utterly happy, or how his tongue would sometimes poke out to catch a drop of broth from a plump bottom lip, Itachi didn't know, but he was captivated.

With a final slurp the blond tipped the cup back and gulped down the rest of the broth, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand as he finished. The cup was placed on the railing where it balanced precariously next to the blond as he leaned over the edge, peering down at the street several stories down. His blond hair was a golden halo in the sunlight, framing tan skin. He was gorgeous, and Itachi was reminded just how painfully single he was.

Itachi was trying to convince himself that maybe it was time to look another way, because this was bordering on creepy, but before he could do so his neighbour turned, and blue eyes locked on him. Itachi tried to act cool, hoping the sunglasses were dark enough that the other wouldn't know that he was staring.

"Hey! You're that guy from the supermarket!" the man exclaimed, forgoing his place hanging over the railing to head towards the side facing Itachi's balcony. In the process he elbowed the empty cup, and it fell over the edge, lost to the streets where it'd probably end up rotting away in a gutter. The man didn't even notice as he stretched a strong arm over the railing. Itachi recognised the gesture, and pushed up from his chair, leaning over as well, so their hands met in the middle of the space between their balconies.

"I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki!" the man said with a grin as they shook hands. Naruto's hand was soft and warm, and Itachi didn't really want to let go.

"Itachi Uchiha," he replied, pushing his sunglasses back on top of his head, wincing when they caught in his long hair. He'd probably have to detangle them out later, but that would make him look supremely idiotic, so he just left them for now.

"I just moved in a couple of days ago!" Naruto added, pulling a hand through his messy hair as he draped himself over the railing.

Somehow the next forty-five minutes passed in a blur as Itachi talked to Naruto. Apparently he'd moved here from out of state because of work, so he didn't know the city at all. Itachi had given him some tips to where he should go, and Naruto had given him the same grin he had given his ramen yesterday. Itachi blamed the sun for the heat that rose in his cheeks, but he also knew he was lying to himself.

Naruto was loud, both in voice and in persona. He talked with big arm gestures, and willingly chattered away about himself and his interests, but he also made the effort to learn to know Itachi, listening intently when Itachi talked, and asking questions to know more. Naruto was the sort of person that seemed to draw people in, and Itachi was no exception to that.

He was wondering how long they'd end up talking if his phone hadn't interrupted them. Naruto excused himself and vanished inside as Itachi grabbed the offending piece of electronics from his pocket, and the only reason he didn't snap into it was because it was his brother calling. Sasuke should call himself lucky Itachi liked his baby brother so much.

***

The heat wave finally let go a week later, and even if Itachi's AC unit had been repaired days ago he had found himself spending more time out on the balcony than he had ever since he moved into the apartment two years ago. He didn't often catch Naruto, they both worked, and sometimes he'd couldn't dodge being taken out by Kisame or Deidara, but he ended up talking to Naruto a few more times, and found them all just as entertaining as the first. Naruto wasn't like anyone he had ever met before, and it was kind of refreshing.

Today the rain had drawn in from heavy grey clouds, so hanging out on the balcony wasn't really feasible. Instead he was working on some paperwork he'd brought home from work, at least until a gut wrenching scream made the walls shake. It came from the side of the apartment that bordered on Naruto's, and Itachi didn't hesitate at all as he tore open his front door and rushed to Naruto's. He feared that Naruto had accidentally killed himself or something, because that scream had been loud, even through the walls. Itachi hesitated for a split second, but then he tore open the door, forgoing knocking. If Naruto had hurt himself he wouldn't be able to answer the door anyways.

Luckily it was unlocked, so Itachi rushed inside, through the living room, looking for Naruto, picturing him lying in a pool of his own blood, or worse.

He found him standing in the kitchen, not a drop of blood on him. Nor did he look like he was actually hurt, but he did look to be in utter shock, staring down at the floor, hands held lamely in front of him as if holding something that was no longer there, a pair of chopsticks hanging precariously from the nook between thumb and index finger.

Itachi looked down, and saw the source of Naruto's scream. A porcelain bowl lay on the floor, shattered, its remains flooding around Naruto's feet. He saw a pile of noodles lying in a pool of broth, some pieces of meat, and half of a hardboiled egg. Apparently Naruto's dinner.

Naruto looked up, seemingly only now realising Itachi was in the room at all.

"It was my last pack of noodles," he said, big eyes growing shiny as they started tearing up and then he looked down to the floor again. "It hasn't all touched the floor though, I could just…" he mused with a shaky voice, the chopsticks twitching as if he was preparing to stoop to the floor and eat what he could.

Itachi stopped him before he got that far. He couldn't stand to see Naruto so heartbroken, and even though he should probably think it was weird for someone to be this attached to ramen, it just made Naruto appear even more endearing in his eyes.

"I may have some noodles," he said, hoping he hadn't finished the last of them earlier.

Naruto's face split in a huge grin, and he looked so happy at the thought that he was getting ramen that Itachi's chest tightened a little, and he knew he shouldn't react this much to a smile, but he was starting to realise that Naruto had an effect on him he hadn't really experienced before. He had seriously misjudged Naruto when he first met him in the supermarket. His love of ramen wasn't weird; it was just… how Naruto was about anything. He didn't like things, he _loved_ them. And ramen just happened to be one of those things he loved most of all. Itachi came from a family of stoic personalities, he wasn't used to people expressing their love of anything as freely as Naruto did, and it was a breath of fresh air that Itachi thoroughly appreciated.

Naruto followed after him back into his apartment, chopsticks still in his hand. For once he wasn't talking, just looking around himself curiously.

A sigh of relief left Itachi's lips when he saw the two packs of noodles lying on the top shelf of the cupboard, and he quickly pulled them out and gave them to Naruto. Tan hands wrapped protectively around them as he pressed them close to his chest, much like he had in the supermarket. His eyes were still shiny with tears, and now his bottom lip was quivering. He clenched his eyes shut as if he was just overcome by feelings, and then whispered a soft, "I love you."

Itachi was pretty sure it was directed at the noodles, but a small part of him kind of wished it was directed at him instead.

"Can I really have them?" Naruto asked, looking at Itachi as if he had just saved his life.

Considering Itachi hadn't spent even two dollars on the two packets, it wasn't a big sacrifice for him, but it seemed like Naruto deemed this the most valuable present he had ever gotten, still cradling them close.

When Itachi nodded in confirmation Naruto whooped loudly and rushed back to his apartment, presumably to make a new dinner.

_I need to stock up on noodles_ , Itachi thought to himself.

***

It became apparent to Itachi that he liked Naruto. Most people would probably find this surprising, since they were so different, Naruto loud where Itachi was quiet, Itachi contemplative and Naruto not thinking things through at all, but Itachi like how Naruto made him feel, and he never had cared much what other people thought anyways.

Whenever they met in the hallway they ended up talking for a while, and when the sun was out they met over the railing of their balconies, continuing their talks there. Naruto told him about the trips around the world he had done, all the people he'd met and the places he'd seen, and Itachi offered up stories of his own life, however less exciting they were. Naruto didn't seem to mind, he listened to Itachi, seemingly interested in anything he had to say.

Naruto was easy-going, and always seemed happy, and somehow it was rubbing off on Itachi, and he found himself actually smiling when he was in Naruto's company. He liked Naruto's quirks (he was still amazed how anyone could be this in love with ramen), and he liked his smile, and he liked the way Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw Itachi come out on the balcony, always rushing to hang over the railing, eager to chat.

Since he'd liked Naruto, the only logical step would be to ask him out. He was old enough and secure enough in himself that he wasn't going to go around wondering if and maybe. He had no idea if Naruto was gay or straight or something in-between, but if it turned out that Naruto was indeed straight and not interested in anything beyond a friendship, Itachi didn't think it would affect too much between them, Naruto wasn't the type to let something like that stop him from being friendly with someone.

Naruto's face had lit up in one of his trademark grins when Itachi asked him the next time he saw him, and when Itachi added that he wanted to bring him to a new Japanese restaurant that had just opened up, and that they indeed served ramen, he thought Naruto was going to crawl over the railing and throw himself into his arms.

He didn't, and Itachi was not going to admit to himself that he was slightly disappointed, but he had a date with Naruto planned for the following night, so that disappointment quickly vanished.

***

Back from their date the next night they were standing in the hallway outside of Naruto's apartment. Naruto lifted a hand to his door jamb, but then hesitated, looking up at Itachi, biting down on his bottom lip as if he wanted to say something. Itachi was captivated by those lips, wondering if they still tasted like ramen. Throughout their date he kept finding his gaze drawn there, and he completely blamed Naruto for making noodles seem like the food of gods. He made small moans of happiness when he ate, and his lips was shiny with broth, and Itachi kept finding himself wanting to lean in and lick off that sheen, even though he had a perfectly good bowl of ramen himself.

Itachi had started to find a whole new appreciation for noodles, and he didn't think he'd ever be able to look at them without imagining Naruto with his eyes closed in joy, devouring several bowls, seemingly never tiring.

He took a step closer, a hand lifting to cup Naruto's chin lightly. Naruto's gaze dropped to his lips for a moment, then back up, leaning just a little bit closer, giving Itachi a silent invitation he was more than ready to RSVP yes to.

Itachi leaned in and kissed Naruto. His lips were just as soft as he had expected. He had not been prepared for how warm Naruto would be though, the warmth seeping right into Itachi's fingers where they curved around his jaw, making it exceedingly hard to pull away. He wanted to keep kissing Naruto but he was very aware of the fact that they were standing right in the middle of the hallway. A part of him wanted to invite Naruto back to his apartment to continue, but another part told him that this was only the first date, and he should probably not move too fast.

Reluctantly he pulled back.

"I had a great time, Naruto," he said, and meant it. He found that going on a date with Naruto was much like talking to him at any other point. Naruto laughed a lot, and he smiled a lot, and it made Itachi feel perfectly at ease. He didn't often relax this much around other people, but there was just something about Naruto which made him feeling completely comfortable.

Itachi sighed as he took off his shoes and placed them next to the door, walking barefoot through the apartment to the couch, sinking down on it, head tipping back. His tongue dipped out to trace along his bottom lip, picking up traces of broth still lingering there. He didn't know if it was his own, or Naruto's, but he knew that never before had the taste of ramen made his groin tighten like this before. Broth should not turn him on like it apparently did now.

He had it bad, this much was clear. Sasuke would probably laugh himself silly if he realised his big brother was hopelessly infatuated by a loud blond with an affinity for ramen. Itachi was pretty sure Sasuke would've hated Naruto if he was in Itachi's place. Sasuke never had much patience for loud people. Naruto would probably find a way to turn him over to his side eventually though. Naruto just seemed like he'd have that effect on people.

Itachi peered towards the side of his apartment that was bordering on Naruto's, wishing there wasn't a wall between them at all. That kiss from earlier didn't feel like it was nearly enough, and even though Itachi figured he should take his time he was starting to think that doing so was overrated.

***

When the doorbell suddenly rang Itachi was quick to get to his feet. It was too late for sudden visitors, and a part of him hoped that—

He pulled open the door and saw Naruto standing there, rolling on the balls of his feet, giving him a lopsided grin. In his hand he clutched a pack of chicken flavoured noodles, which he promptly thrust towards Itachi's chest. Itachi grabbed it, glancing down at it, wondering why Naruto found the need to bring him noodles when they'd just gotten home from eating ramen.

"Uhm, I figured, since you gave me your noodles the other day, I should return them?" Naruto said, hand rubbing the back of his head, gaze flickering away from Itachi as he fidgeted. Itachi saw a tint of red in Naruto's cheeks. It wasn't that hard to read him right now. Or rather, it was extremely easy to read him, and Itachi found that a very charming quality.

"Naruto, do you want to come inside?" he asked, unable to hold back the small smile tugging at his lips when Naruto nodded eagerly and followed him inside the apartment.

The door closed behind them, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Then two things happened simultaneously. The pack of noodles fell to the ground, and Naruto leapt at Itachi, pulling him into a kiss that was as far from the chaste kiss in the hallway earlier.

Naruto tasted richly of ramen, and Itachi knew that the taste of it would forever remind him of Naruto, and he found that he didn't mind that one bit as they made their way to his bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to make you all aware of the fact that The Ramen Rater is an actual thing, and I’m pretty sure it would be Naruto’s favourite website ever. XD


End file.
